I started the 'candyfloss' work before Christmas. I got kinda stuck with it. Perhaps it was that these are not my favoured colours. Perhaps it was because I set up a pattern repeat that I began to regret. Or perhaps it was simply that it bored me and I wanted to be doing several other things that were about learning as much as just doing.
Whatever the reason, it just sat there in the projects box, pricking at my conscience on a daily basis. Last week, in between those other more challenging and interesting items, I finally picked the thing up and completed sufficient length to be joined into an infinity scarf. It is also long enough to double up and form a very snug (and extremely warm) cowl. Given there was so much yarn still left, there had to be the matching beanie... (and wrist warmers and mitts may follow - or what's left will go into the 'scraps' for future blanketing).
One of the challenging items that I started and completed within the week was this wrap. The challenge lay in the yarn itself. A heavy lace to light fingering weight cotton that was probably meant for weaving (mum probably had visions of teatowels or somesuch).
What you see there is the remains of the cone after completion of the project... I did consider pairing it with another yarn to increase bulk, but not for long. Summer approaches, so this was a chance to produce something rather more delicate than much of the stuff made recently. As the hard work lay in the yarn itself, I opted to once again use the Falling Leaves pattern that worked so well in both the double-knitting and the bulky alpaca yarns of the previous two projects with that stitching. Using a pattern you know works well and that you can easily memorise is a good option when other challenges, like splitting, breaking, or sticky yarns, are involved. This cotton is twisted up from three sewing-width threads, and it did present some splitting in places. It was also quite slippery on the hook, which is almost as bad as sticky. I rarely drop stitches, but there were a few on this work because the yarn just got ahead of me if I wasn't paying full attention! Thankfully, not so much that they couldn't be rectified fairly quickly.
Anyway, I cast on 60 chain foundation stitches (not just plain chain, as it made working the first row a lot less daunting on such small-gauge thread) with a 2.5mm (US letter C) hook, and set off on a 150cm x 33cm wrap (that's about 60in x 13in for the imperials!). I can work this pattern very quickly, so even with this fiddly stuff, it was only four evenings' work. I was keen to photograph it right away, but I think it will look even better once it's had a steam blocking. It has encouraged me to work more of the extra fine yarns that are lurking in the stash...
